FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR C

Joshua 5:9.10-12
Psalm 33
2Corinthians 5:17-21
Luke 15:1-3.11-32

GOD IS A COMPASSIONATE FATHER

Today's liturgy  invites us to rejoice and be glad. This joy stems from the fact that we serve a forgiving and merciful God, who has reconciled us with himself in Jesus Christ. The first reading speaks about the celebration of the first Passover on the Promised Land after the forty years journey through the wilderness. God renews his people by taking away the shame of Egypt. Egyptian slavery has come to an end, the manna stops falling. Now new life begins, and God is always present in the midst of his people.

St Paul, in the second reading, speaks of the  christian renewal made possible in Jesus Christ. In him God has not held our faults against us, but has forgiven us and reconciled us with himself. As such we too must be reconciled with one another. Thus, we will become ambassadors for Christ.

The gospel presents us the parable of the prodigal son. Apart from all that it teaches us about the need to regret our sins and failures, to repent and seek reconciliation with God and with one another, the parable reveals to us the true image of God. God is a merciful, forgiving, tender and loving father. He respects our freedom.   He forgives our faults and welcomes us whenever we come back to him.

Three lessons may be learnt from this parable. First like the prodigal son, let us be conscious of our wretchedness, our sinfulness, and repent from our evil ways. Let us ask for forgiveness from those whom we have wronged or offended. Second, like the compassionate father, let us be merciful and forgive those who ask us for forgiveness. Third, unlike the elder son, let us not be selfish and jealous about the conversion of the sinners. Let us be glad when they come back home. May the Lord bless and keep all of us in his love and mercy. Amen

3RD SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR C

Exodus 3:1-8.13-15
Psalm 102
1 Corinthians 10:1-6.10-12
Luke 13:1-9

MY NAME IS I AM

As we continue our Lenten observances, the journey may become tiresome, unbearable and too long. It may happen that we see no good coming out of our efforts. But let us not despair. For our God is a living and faithful God. He is close to us and knows everything. This is what he reveals to Moses in the burning bush. We do not serve a nameless God. His name is: “I AM” or “I AM WHO I AM”. He is always present.  He has resolved to come down and free his people from slavery. This means that our God can be approached personally. He is real. He exists. And he does not abandon us to our fate.

For St Paul in the second reading, God guided the Israelites through the desert and provided for their needs. Despite all that some of them failed to please God and their corpses littered the desert. Their story is told us as a warning so that we may not behave like them.

In the gospel, people “gossip” about the tragic disaster that befell the Galileans whom Pilate killed and the eighteen people who perished under the tower at Siloam. Why such misfortunes? For Jesus, this question is not important. There is a disaster that is more deadly than natural calamities and that hovers over all of us; and that is sin. Thus, we must repent from our sins and come to God. For God is patient. He does not take pleasure in the death of the sinner, but he may repent and live.

He is not in a hurry to cut the unproductive tree down. He gives it another chance, another opportunity for it to produce fruits. That tree is you, it is me. God is giving us another chance, another time to change and be saved. We must leave behind bad behaviors, bitterness, complaining, unforgiveness, etc. This time is today. Do not wait, do not postpone it. For today is the time of salvation; today is the time for deliverance. 

Amen

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR C

Genesis 15:5-12.17-18

Psalm 26

Philippians 3:17—4:1

Luke 9:28-36

OUR WAY TO OUR TRANSFIGURATION

Usually, the story of the transfiguration is proclaimed on the second Sunday of Lent. Situating this event in its context may be enlightening. It was preceded by two events. First, the exiting moment of Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ. Second, the shocking prediction of Jesus’ sufferings, death and resurrection. Then comes the wonderful experience of the Transfiguration: “Rabbi, It is wonderful for us to be here…” said Peter (Luke 9:28-36). 

Thus, the transfiguration was to boost the faith of the disciples and teach them that after his suffering and death, glory will be his. On this journey of life, sufferings and crosses are inevitable. In spite of the awful moments we may have to experience, the crosses we may have to bear, the pains and difficulties we may have to go through, the trying moments we may have to live, one thing is sure: God is leading us to glory. Hence St Paul tells us our mortal bodies will be transformed, transfigured into copies of Jesus’ glorified body. For we are pilgrims on this earth. Our homeland is in heaven (Phil 3:17—4:1). So, the gospel of the  cross must be preached in today's world where some Christians preach only the prosperity gospel.

Thus, like Abraham, we are heading towards our promised land. By faith and on account of his trust in God’s promises, he left his father’s house and headed to a land he did not know. Thus, God makes a covenant with him to assure him of his unfailing presence and his faithfulness that never ends (Gen 15:5-12.17-18). We too must move onwards despite the crosses we have to bear, for no cross, no crown. May the lord help us to bear our crosses and never give up so that we may share in his glory and joy. Amen 

1ST SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR C

Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Ps 90:1-2.10-12
Romans 10:8-13
Luke 4:1-13

TEMPTED, YET NOT DEFILED

Lent is here again! Lent is a period to deepen our relationship with God through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It is a time to reflect on and renew ourselves, a time to start afresh, to return to the Lord. It is a time of penance and conversion. Traditionally, the gospel of the first Sunday of Lent speaks of the temptation of Jesus (Luke 4:1-13). This is to tell us that there are many temptations that await us during this season of grace. But just as Jesus resisted the devil, we too should not give in to the solicitations of the devil.

Today’s first reading presents the creed of the Jews. This profession of faith is a kind of anamnesis, a remembering of their history from the patriarchs to their establishment on the Promised Land. And this profession of their faith was made during the offering of the first-fruits to the Lord so as to acknowledge and give thanks to him for his wondrous deeds (Deut. 26:4-10). For St Paul, to believe and profess that God raised the Lord Jesus up from the dead brings justification and salvation. Thus, anyone who proclaims Jesus as Lord and calls on his name will not be put to shame, but shall be saved (Rom. 10:8-13).

The story of Jesus’ temptation has much to teach us. First, no one can escape temptation. Temptation is everywhere and has no respect for status or position. Second, the devil tempts us on our weakest point and can easily seduce us to fall into his traps. The desire for food, pleasure, power and fame are common human attractions.

Third, to be able to resist the temptation, we must counter him firmly with the Word of God. Lastly, when we are tempted, we have a choice to make, depending on whether we know our identity and mission as Christians or not. Jesus was able to withstand the devil because he knew his identity and mission. May he help us to resist temptations that may come our way especially during this season of grace.
 Amen

EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C

Ecclesiasticus 27 :4-7
Psalm 91:2-3.13-16
1Corinthians 15:54-58
Luke 6:39-45

THE LOG IN MY EYE

Last Sunday before the season of Lent, today’s readings invite us to look into our hearts, check what we have stored therein, and fill them with good thoughts and thanksgiving. In the gospel, St Luke reports three short parables of Jesus, namely that of a blind man leading another blind man, that of the speck and the log in the eye, and that of the tree that is recognized through its fruits (Luke 6:39-45).

The first reading is a good illustration of the third parable. According to Ben Sirach, man’s words reveal his personality. Thus, we should not praise or judge a person without listening to him in the first place.

The second parable is not without importance. In effect, we like zooming into the weaknesses, mistakes, sins and shortcomings of others without acknowledging ours. We gossip about others. We expose their nakedness. We put blame on others. We judge and condemn them. We are quick to pronounce sentence on them. In short, we notice the speck in others’ eyes, and do not notice that we have a log in ours. As a result we usually try to take the speck out of another’s eye. We want to correct others. We want to change others.

We are simply hypocrites. We should take the log out of our own eye first. Then we will see clear so as to help the other with his speck. We should change ourselves first. This demands self-discipline and self mastery. We need courage and endurance, and never give up working on ourselves. Thus, after he has ended his exposé on the resurrection, St Paul exhorts us saying: “Never give in then, my dear brethren, never admit defeat; keep on working at the Lord’s work always, knowing that, in the Lord, you cannot be laboring in vain”. May the Lord help us identify our own shortcomings, mistakes and work on them. 

Amen.